The Trio and Rio
by PolandSpringz
Summary: When a typhoon hits the village, Rio is stuck at Neil's house for the weekend, along with Allen and Rod! What will happen with the trio and Rio? (Note: I published this but I didn't like the chapters that followed it because it wasn't my best work. For those who were reading, I will try to fix any problems with the uploads as best as I can. Thank you.) Slight AllenxRio & RodxRio.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The blonde haired tsundere sat leaned back at his kitchen table, the storm outside his house pounding against his locked windows and closed doors. He stirred sugar into his tea with no emotion as the news on the television informed him of current storm updates.

"And so…continue into tomorrow morning and the next day….keep all…" The boring meteorologist went on and on about things all the villagers with a brain already knew and assumed about. The townsfolk were used to these storms, in fact, Dunhill had tracked them for a while. Everything was going to be closed and everyone would be safe inside. The town would appear abandoned to any outsider or lost traveler. Even the hotel would be shut down in this weather. Neil sighed as he flipped the television off and groaned again before getting up and stretching his body.

"I wonder how Rio is right now…" Neil mumbled as he thought back to what she had told him earlier today before the typhoon had hit. She had ranted to him as she purchased her fifth chicken about what her errands were for the rest of that day. Neil had pretended not to listen at all, but of course he actually was. He just couldn't show it because then he would seem too interested in her life which was almost identical to what he did, except for the fact that he didn't fiddle with dirt and plants or foraged for items to ship.

_"So," Rio had continued as Neil leaned against the edge of the counter, "I literally have to buy like a million different crops and somehow plant them all and harvest them in my amazingly small field before the season ends or buy a couple of plants that will regrow throughout the season. What's your opinion on it Neil?" Neil sighed as she pointed to an animal treat and held up two fingers. He watched her fumble with her new chicken which was in a headlock under her arm as she fiddled to get the money out of her overall's front pocket and he internally laughed as the chicken clucked and pecked at her waist and arm in anger._

_"It depends. How much money do each of the crops cost you?" He started to hand her a bag of the treats when her realized her rucksack open on the counter and he just slipped it inside there instead._

_"Well, they all vary, but most of them are between 200-500 gold."_

_"How many do you intend to buy?"_

_"At least ten of each."_

_"And how much money will you have when you leave here?" He cocked an eyebrow at her and watched in amusement as she bowed her head in embarrassment almost and an awkward smile crawled on her face as she sighed._

_"Zero, most likely."_

_"Why do you even buy all of this stuff? You bought the same amount of fodder the day before? You better not be overfeeding your cows and sheep."_

_"I'm not, I just get worried that if I can't get into town for a couple of days and I run out I'll be in trouble."  
"Then just buy large quantities like a normal person!"  
"I think it's better to buy a little at a time than to buy a lot at once. It helps save money, you know?"  
"I guess."_

_"I also have to forage through the mountains for most of the day. It's summer, so that means it's the best time for catching cicadas."_

_"You do realize a typhoon is on it's way, right? The mountains are the most unreasonable place to be today."_

_"I know but…"_

_Neil had gotten exhausted from the constant chitchat and he shooed her away._

_"If you aren't going to buy anything else you might as well just leave." He hissed and she started to look offended and she took a step back. Neil forced a snarky smile before he said, "You've got a lot of work ahead of you right now, don't you?"_

A frantic knock to the door interrupted his memory and Neil walked slowly across the room but when the knocking became more and more frantic he almost jogged there. He unbolted it and yanked it open with ease, revealing a damp Allen and Rod.

"Allen?! Rod?! What the hell?" Neil yelled as the two laughed nervously as they practically forced themselves into his house. Neil shut the door before turning to face the two that were dripping onto his hardwood floor.

"Sorry, Neil. We were out on a walk when the storm started up. Your house was the closet so we just decided to come here. Hope you don't mind?" Rod asked and Neil sighed.

"Hey, do you have a towel? This rainwater will ruin my hair unless I dry it myself." Allen asked in his typical sassy voice. Neil scowled but he groaned as he spun on his heel and trudged up the staircase to fetch towels for his two unexpected houseguests. As he opened the bathroom door, he yelled down to the two.

"How long ago did you guys head out on a walk? The storm has been raging on for at least an hour now."

"Actually, it was only a couple of minutes ago." Rod stated.

"You willingly went out on a walk in the middle of a hurricane?!" The bathroom door slammed. "Apparently you two are bigger idiots than I thought because if I walked out of the house in the middle of a storm, I would immediately turn around and step back inside. What's wrong with you guys?"

"Actually, we were on our way to see Rio." Allen said as a towel was chucked from the staircase to him and it smacked him in the face.

"Yeah. We were worried that with all her errands today she would still try to head out in the storm."

Neil felt a twinge of annoyance in his head. No, it wasn't annoyance. He turned away for a moment as realization came over him. He kept mistaking annoyance for disappointment. He was disappointed in the fact that he had deluded himself into thinking that Rio only told him what she was going to do. Of course she would tell the other villagers, they were her friends too.

"What did she say?" Neil asked a little rudely.

"We didn't get to see her." Rod said and Neil's shoulder drooped but he straightened them before turning around to face the two men once again with his usual stoic expression.

"I'm guessing you two plan on staying the night then?"  
"I guess we are." Allen and Rod looked at each other and Neil started to sigh again when another knock disturbed him.

"God who is it this time. I'm not a hotel you know! We have one of those for a reas-Woah Rio?!" Neil opened the door to reveal a shivering and soaked blonde hair girl who was hunched over and barely looking up at the man in front of her. She had changed clothes from her usual overalls to a red eastern short dress and her hair was tied up in two buns resting on the top of her head. Neil blushed when he saw her blue eyes look up at him with sadness. She was like a lost puppy.

"Hey Neil…" She whispered as she sneezed at his feet.

"Rio?! What are you doing here and…and…in that?!"

"In what?" Allen and Rod craned their necks to see over Neil's shoulder as they rubbed their head with the small towels.

"Nothing!" Neil yelled as he pushed him hand against the door frame.

"Is there something wrong with it?" She wrapped her arms around herself.  
"Besides the fact that you are wearing that in the middle of a hurricane, yes, in fact, there is!"

"Ah! Neil, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wouldn't like it… I was heading back to my farm when lightning and thunder started happening and your house was the closet nearby so, I'm really sorry but would you mind-" She started to bow.

"Don't bend over!" Neil shouted as the girl snapped back, her drooping loose buns of hair almost slapping him in the face.

"I'm sorry!"

"You don't have to…Argh! Just get in here you little!" Neil grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her hard into the hallway and rushed upstairs to get a towel. When he returned he pointed to the bathroom.

"You can take a shower if you want. I'll give you a change of clothes for the night."  
"Why don't we get a warm shower and change of clothes?" Allen asked, crossing his arms.

"Neil, that's not fair!"  
"Yes it is! She was actually doing work while the two of you were just wandering around in a hurricane! Anyway, just get to it. You can leave your clothes hanging upstairs. I'll throw them in the dryer eventually."

"Ok…" Rio mumbled as she started to take her hair out as she walked towards the staircase. She pushed her body up the first stair when she turned around and smiled at Neil and bowed again.

"Thank you Neil."  
"Just go up there and don't bend over again!"


	2. Shrove Tuesday

"Umm…Neil…?" A quiet voice mumbled softly from the staircase as the three boys on the couch directed their attention away from the television and to the girl. All three of them immediately had a faint pink dusting their cheeks.

"Y-y-yes?!" He yelled and the three stood up almost like soldiers.

"I'm hungry." She whined almost like a child as she yanked on the grayish wrinkled and oversized t-shirt Neil had graciously given her. Rod's face turned bright red as she waddled over to the three and wrapped her arms around their necks, pulling them all together and knocking them all over in the process. Allen covered his mouth and glanced away nervously and Neil tried to hide his blush as he pushed her body off of him.

"I-I-I c-can't do anything about it if you're pushing me down like that!" He stuttered and eventually the girl let go and stood before the three men who all sighed before returning their gazes to her.

"So, Neil," Rod asked, leaning over his shoulder, "What are you going to feed us?"

"I don't recall ever promising you two food."

"Are you saying you were only going to feed you and her?" Allen asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'm not actually used to…Rio what are you doing?!" Neil yelled as he dashed over to the kitchen, stopping the girl as she began to gathering cartons of eggs and milk from his fridge and stumbled over the counter. Allen caught her when she started to fall and Rod slid on his stomach on the floor to catch the bottle of milk.

"It's Shrove Tuesday." She frowned, looking up at the boy who seemed rather defeated, having to babysit the other three for hopefully only the next night. "It's one day before Lent begins. Today you are supposed to eat a lot of food or something, at least I recall my mother telling me something like that on this day."

"Then why do you have the ingredients for pancakes?" Rod asked as he set the bottle of milk down.

"On Shrove Tuesday you are supposed to eat Pancakes!" She beamed as she leaned up as she reached for a glass bowl inside the top cabinet. Neil sighed again and pushed her out of the way with a slight hip bump before placing his hand over hers and helping her support the heavy bowl. He immediately began to pour different ingredients into the bowl and stir vigorously while she stared up at him. Allen and Rod leaned back against the fridge and Allen whispered something illegible to the strawberry blonde, causing him to erupt in laughter.

"What?" Neil scowled at the two as he started to pour the mixture onto a pan.

"Oh, nothing, just you two." Rod tried to stifle another laugh as Allen mumbled something again, a dirty smirk crawling across his face.

"I swear you two are so damn lucky that I haven't tossed you out by now."

"Oh come now you three." The girl pouted as Neil flipped a pancake over the stove. "We're having pancakes for supper! Let's enjoy ourselves! Allen, Rod, go set the table. Shoo, shoo." She waved the boys out of the kitchen and leaned her body weight against Neil's arm, her head nuzzling in between the crook in his neck, sending a shiver of nervousness up his spine. To the girl, this was just an innocent gesture between friends but to the boy, god, he almost slammed the pancake into the ceiling when he felt her breathing slow.

"Rio, do you like pancakes?" He asked, trying to break the ice and remain his composure.

"Yeah." She muttered sleepily. "My dad used to make them all the time when I was a kid on Sundays and then we would have them throughout the week. Then we got busy as we got older and we haven't had them again to this day." A hint of sadness in her voice trailed off and she beamed another smile at the boy as she clutched onto his arm, making him turn and face her. He looked into her blue eyes and watched them twinkle with happiness. "Thank you Neil."

A flash of thunder outside erupted as Allen called to them from the kitchen's entrance.

"Aye, lovebirds, get over here with the food."

"Neil! Come on let's eat!"

"Yes, yes." He said as he put all the pancakes onto a large platter and walked out into the dining room, wrapping one arm around Rio's neck as he dragged her with him. The three cheered as Neil grumbled something as he set down the platter on the table, Rio and Rod being the noisiest. He couldn't help but smile as the two pumped their fists in the air like little children.

"Yay! Pancakes!"


End file.
